Finding solace and friendship at a food bank, Kayla unexpectedly reconnects with her former crush, Sean. Both reeling from past heartbreak, they must decide if love is possible a second time around.

If you’re a fan of clean and wholesome romance, this book is for you. It’s a wonderful story with well-developed characters and a found family theme, which I love. The story world is uncomplicated and sometimes unrealistic, like a Christmas movie with feel-good appeal.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Their surprise reunion

I loved this book so much. Enjoyed Kayla, Sean and Jackson and all the other Characters. Sean and Kayla went to the same high school several years ago. Both had been married. Sean has a son named Jackson. I love how the food bank was in the story. I could see this book as a hallmark movie. I hated for the story to end. Loved the characters so much.

I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley. This book review is my own opinion.

This is a sweet, feel-good second-chance romance with a touch of real-world struggle and a whole lot of heart. The book weaves together the quiet strength of a woman rebuilding her life and the compassion of a widower trying to move forward—all set against the cozy, community-driven backdrop of a small-town food bank called Loaves of Love.

Kayla, once a shy choir girl, is picking up the pieces after a painful divorce that left her emotionally and financially drained. Sean, a former high school football player and now a widowed father, finds comfort and purpose in his Saturday volunteer shifts baking bread for those in need. Their reconnection over flour, kneading, and quiet conversation is both charming and believable, and their chemistry grows organically from friendship into something deeper.

The emotional tone is warm, hopeful, and clean—Kayla’s pride and quiet resilience, paired with Sean’s genuine kindness, make them easy to root for. That said, there are a couple of small quibbles: the financial realism of Kayla’s new job as a paraprofessional doesn’t quite ring true, and her emotional vulnerability never fully opens up “on page,” even by the end. Still, these don’t overshadow the overall charm of the story.

In short, this is a heartfelt, fluffy read that celebrates new beginnings, kindness, and quiet romance.

This is a clean romance with some drama built into the story that kept me fully engaged. Kayla Harding returns to her hometown of Medina, Ohio after a rough divorce. There she finds herself needing to use a food bank because her resources are low and her cupboards are almost bare. At Loaves of Love, Kayla meets a former friend from high school, football star Sean Copeland who is now a widower and an assistant coach. Raising his six-year old son Jackson alone since the death of his wife Danette the previous year, Sean is kind-hearted and jumps right in to help Kayla learn how to make a loaf of bread at the food bank. Their friendship progresses normally, with Kayla hiding secrets and Sean leery about a new relationship. I enjoyed the humility that Kayla showed and also the realistic scenes in which she was ashamed to have to ask for food. I really liked the character of Edna, the lady who ran the food bank and who helped Kayla feel more comfortable about needing help. There were a lot of characters in this sweet romance, including Kayla’s demanding boss and Sean’s teasing family. The cast of characters added to the drama as well as the character development of the protagonists. The novel was an entertaining read that also presented the truth about what can happen when you are starting over and have little recourse but to ask for help. Told with compassion and a lot of love, this is a memorable story of a couple who find each other in the most unlikely place and who help each other to discover truths about themselves and each other.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

My favorite part of this story was Loaves of Love and how they ministered to the community. They did it while preserving the dignity and self worth of each individual involved.

Sean, Jackson and Kayla were great characters. Jackson is only 6 but had so much love for those around him. The interaction between Sean and Kayla was sweet as they both confronted their past.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Author Shelley Shepard Gray is a talented author of heartwarming stories. Their Surprise Reunion highlights friendship, forgiveness, and understanding. When Kayla Harding hits rock-bottom and finds herself still reeling from her divorce, she forces herself to walk into Loaves of Love, a food bank, for help. She runs into a former crush, Sean Copeland who volunteers at the food bank. Sean is a recent widower with an adorable six-year-old son, Jackson, who sometimes is more the adult than Kayla or his dad Sean. As Kayla, Sean, and Jackson spend more time together and secrets are unveiled will feelings develop into more? Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging from Author Shelley Shepard Gray and Harlequin.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and author. The opinions are my own.

Their Surprise Reunion is a sweet story of healing from loss, healing from divorce, and personal growth. I loved the compassionate theme throughout this story that stems from the food shelf in the story called Loaves of Love. Edna, the woman who runs the food bank, is the epitome of kind, caring, compassionate, and loving. She treats everyone with such kindness and respect, and that sets the tone for the whole story of Kayla and Sean meeting and getting to know one another again. I enjoyed reading this uplifting happily ever after story, and I recommend others try it too.

This is a sweet story. Kayla and Sean knew each other from high school. They went their separate ways and married other people. Sean has a 6 year old boy named Jackson with his late wife Dannette. Sean has been raising Jackson on his own. Kayla is recently divorced and struggling to make ends meet. She goes to a local food bank, Loaves of Love, for groceries. The food recipients also learn to bake bread and share it with others. Sean volunteers there and he and Kayla reconnect. Sean doesn't know that Kayla is struggling financially. He thinks she is there just as a volunteer. One thing leads to another. Sean and Kayla hit it off and start dating. They have a lot of emotions to work through because of their previous marriages and current situations. Will they be able to overcome their differences and become a family of three? This is a sweet story about love, family, friendship and second chances. I received a complimentary copy of this book but wasn't required to leave a review. #netgalley #theirsurprisereunion #harlequin

THEIR SURPRISE REUNION touched my heart in many unexpected ways. There was so much to love about both main characters but Kayla was truly special.

I don’t ever want to know what it would be like to go without the basic necessities but it is a very real situation for so many. Despite being down on her luck, Kayla is a positive light in an otherwise dark tunnel. She does not allow herself to be a victim of her circumstances but moves forward in a positive and hope filled way. Sean is a dedicated single dad. A widower with a lot on his plate including an attraction to the woman he once knew in high school.

Watching Sean and Kayla come together was truly special and the icing on the cake was little Jackson. He was an adorable addition to the story and the glue that kept them all together. I’m giving this book the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy!

“Their Surprise Reunion” by Shelley Shepard Gray follows Kayla, who, facing difficult times, crosses paths with Sean, a widowed single father, when she seeks help at the local food bank. Readers looking for a heartfelt and uplifting story filled with second chances, single-dad troupe, and a beautifully written sweet romance should definitely add this to their TBR.
Thanks to Harlequin - Romance | Harlequin Heartwarming for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Their Surprise Reunion by Shelley Shepard Gray. Kayla Harding divorced her cheating husband and got nothing out of the divorce. Barely making enough money to cover her bills but not enough for food. She decides to go to the food bank called Loaves of Love run by Edna. There She runs into an old high school friend Sean Copeland who is now a widowed father with a son named Jackson. Finding friendship easy. Both have to deal with some underlying things from their past. Great book, I don’t think you will be disappointed. Thank you to #NetGalley, #Harlequin-romance and #Shelley Shepard Gray for this arc book. This is my honest review.

shelly shepard gray never disappoints. This was a wonderful story and I read it straight thru. Second chances are an amazing thing when its the right time, place and person. If you want to feel good read this

I actually quite liked this one, minus a few little things. Kayla and Sean knew of each other due to going to the same high school. Sean was a jock from the football team and Kayla was a quiet, shy, choir girl. They two cliques didn't have much interaction with each other, but they knew each other's names, more or less.

Fast forward and Kayla is trying to get onto her feet after divorcing her cheating husband she was with from shortly after high school to a few months ago. He wasn't the greatest and while they were trying to work on their marriage, he was having an affair. He completely screwed her over in the divorce too, taking advantage of her naivety and her quiet, gentle nature. With nothing more than a high school diploma, she finds it hard to make ends meet working her retail job at a card shop. And it just keeps getting harder cause her boss is a bit of a bee-with-an-itch.

Sean lost his wife 3 years ago and has just been focusing on his job and his kid. He takes Saturday to do a bit of volunteer work at Loaves of Love, a food bank that also makes fresh bread. Volunteers come in and make 2 or more loaves of bread, get one to take home and one goes into the food bank store area. It's a pretty good deal and he loves the people there and giving back to his community a little bit.

When Kayla finally admits she can no longer afford to feed herself, never mind her bills, she goes to Loaves of Love. There the elderly patron Edna convinces her to stay and make two loaves of bread, one for herself and one for someone else in need while Edna goes and gets her a bag worth of necessities. Kayla and Sean meet again over bowls of flours they are making into dough and hit it off. Sean thinks she's just there to volunteer, and Kayla, wanting to keep her pride intact, lets him think that. Quickly their reacquaintance turns into friendship and the friendship rapidly turns into something rather romantic with him inviting her over for dinners, helping her find a new job, introducing her to his family, etc. But while he feels like he's pouring his past out to her, she obviously holding back.

So what did I think?

As previously stated, I quite like this one. I only have small grievances with the story, but they didn't ruin the plot by any means.

The first, T.A.s, E.A.s and 'Paraprofessionals' do NOT make a livable wage. I don't know where in ALL of North America you can track down a Teacher's aid, or other, how can look you in the eye and say they make enough to comfortably live. Most EAs who are a single income house work at least two jobs. I know one or two who are working three in order to make ends meet. So I don't know where the heck Kayla is working, but I know about 4000+ EAs, TAs, Librarians, Custodians, Cafeteria people, etc who want what she's got.

The second, Kayla never does really open up 'on page' to Sean, even after their talk and then again after he reminds her. Just saying.

I did enjoy how the author left the epilogue rather ambiguous. Their courtship was maybe, maybe a couple of months long. So to keep negative nelly readers like me happy, they didn't apply an exact timeline to things. I like that.

So all in all it was a nice, clean, fluffy romance read that I really enjoyed!

This was so great! I finished it a full week ago and haven’t stopped thinking about how good it made me feel. I wanted something easy and fun, to feel warm and fuzzy. This was perfect!

Sean is a young widower raising his 6yr old son Jackson when newly divorced Kayla walks into their lives. Sean and Kayla went to school together years ago and found themselves reconnecting during shared volunteer time baking bread at their local food bank. Their romance progressed sweetly and young Jackson was a lot of fun to read. This author is wonderful and I love that baking played a part in the story.

What a sweet story that I fell in love with immediately.
A quote I wanted to share
Edna smiled. "How about you just be you? I happen to think that the world would be a pretty bad place without you in it. Now, come on. Let's get this done.
Gray's stories are full of heartfelt characters going through life's every day struggles and learning to come out on top
This one is not any different.
The protagonist Kayla is a sweet girl. I love her down to earth humbleness and I enjoyed in getting to know her.
Never be ashamed to ask for help even though it is hard sometimes.
It's what brings to mind Pride goeth before a fall. Only Kayla didn't ask for any of that.
I think that would be a scary thing learning to do over all on your own. But she really wasn't alone. God was with her through it all and so were her wonderful friends that she made along the way.
This was a great story of learning to start over and leaning to lean on friends anf God to help you through.
5 star for a heartfelt story. I was enjoying this all the way through..I hated to see it end.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Loved thus book. It was great seeing two groups of people getting together after a lengthy time apart and the romance that each shared. And how they came to terms with it. Hopefully Edna‘s romance will blossom in the next book.

I was able to read Their Surprise Reunion from NetGalley. Kayla is in a rough spot since her divorce. She needs help and arrives at Loves of Love. Due to a misunderstanding, she starts volunteering to make bread. During her first shift she meets Sean. Sean and Kayla went to school together. Sean was the star football player who got the scholarship and the college girlfriend. Now he is widowed with a son Jackson. Sean and Kayla reconnect. He also helps Kayla get a new job, and a new outlook. This was such a great read. I highly recommend this to everyone.

Loved reading the inspirational and fabulous story. When Kayla who is trying to get over a bad divorce finally has the courage to go to the food bank for food, she is talked into making bread loves and gets to know Sean, a football hero from high school, who has a six year old son. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read engaging story by the fabulous author, Shelley Shepard Gray.